Windows system administrator vs help desk administrator

The differences between windows system administrators and help desk administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a windows system administrator and a help desk administrator. Additionally, a windows system administrator has an average salary of $79,845, which is higher than the $49,798 average annual salary of a help desk administrator.

The top three skills for a windows system administrator include windows server, infrastructure and powershell. The most important skills for a help desk administrator are customer service, desk support, and troubleshoot.

Windows system administrator vs help desk administrator overview

	Windows System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Yearly salary	$79,845	$49,798
Hourly rate	$38.39	$23.94
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	94,648	130,180
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a windows system administrator do?

A Windows System Administrator maintains the systems and servers of a Windows operating system. They evaluate and modify the system's performance.

What does a help desk administrator do?

Help desk administrator is responsible for handling activities related to system support for their company or organization. They are in charge of providing superb client experiences and working in resolving support issues in a professional and timely manner. One of their primary tasks includes providing login resets and passwords for end-users. In addition, they will also perform innovative systems and network repairs, as well as assist computer information responses as required. Moreover, they support complete equipment set-up, renewal, or termination of a user account, handle server, and domain account changes.

Windows system administrator vs help desk administrator salary

Windows system administrators and help desk administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Windows System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Average salary	$79,845	$49,798
Salary range	Between $60,000 And $104,000	Between $34,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Meta	Houlihan Lokey
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between windows system administrator and help desk administrator education

There are a few differences between a windows system administrator and a help desk administrator in terms of educational background:

	Windows System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Windows system administrator vs help desk administrator demographics

Here are the differences between windows system administrators' and help desk administrators' demographics:

	Windows System Administrator	Help Desk Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%	Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between windows system administrator and help desk administrator duties and responsibilities

Windows system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and configure VPN connections for the users.
Deploy and manage Panasonic PBX and VOIP phone systems and network connectivity.
Manage exchange stores, mailbox provisioning, active sync and monitoring the mailboxes.
Manage data usage, space, security and archival over servers, workstations and NAS machines.
Manage issues with server hardware, networking, web services, database, DNS, clustering, and e-mail.
Manage all OU's under domain at multiple sites across the country through a constant VPN tunnel per client rules.

Help desk administrator example responsibilities.

Create, deploy and manage VMWare virtual desktops as well as configured customize pools for specific operational needs.
Manage the PC refresh program transferring all user data remotely and installing require software applications.
Configure, establish and manage local area network (LAN) connectivity and remote access per customer configuration requirements.
Administer DNS / DHCP servers, work with network administer to make sure the tables are updating correctly.
Administer IP address allocation through DHCP management.
Assist in the deployment of new POS applications and hardware.

Windows system administrator vs help desk administrator skills

Common windows system administrator skills

Windows Server, 9%
Infrastructure, 7%
PowerShell, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Linux, 5%
SCCM, 4%

Common help desk administrator skills

Customer Service, 11%
Desk Support, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Technical Support, 5%
Phone Calls, 4%
Remote Desktop, 4%

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Windows System Administrator vs Help Desk Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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